Latest wacky Xiaomi patent details a smartphone with a detachable display

Xiaomi clearly loves to patent any random smartphone-related idea that gets cooked up in its workplace. We have already had a semi-transparent smartphone with a huge single camera on the rear and more recently there was the Xiaomi smartphone with incorporated earphones. This time around, LetsGoDigital has unearthed a patent for a phone that comes with a detachable screen. The smartphone itself is somewhat inconspicuous until its modular secret is revealed.

It can be seen in the patent images (see below) that there are two separate parts to this Xiaomi smartphone: the detachable display and the main housing. Both the phone body and the display have connectors on them, enabling the removal and replacement of the screen. The rear of the body shows a triple-camera housing, but surprisingly the front of the body reveals a dual-camera system and a flash. This can mean either this Xiaomi smartphone would have an under-screen camera or the idea would be that users could detach the screen and use it as a viewfinder while utilizing the smartphone body as the main camera apparatus.

It’s an interesting concept, but you have to wonder just how much appeal there would be to own a Xiaomi smartphone with a detachable display. LetsGoDigital opines that the screen and the body would still be connected wirelessly even if disconnected physically, so the separated display could be used as a more lightweight device for longer calls, as the abovementioned viewfinder, or for enhanced gaming sessions. It seems unlikely this particular patent will see too much serious development unless Xiaomi can come up with a solid marketable reason for shoppers to buy a smartphone with a detachable display.